NCJ Number
216193
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 153-162
Date Published
February 2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study replicated previous research that used the Investment Model to understand battered women’s commitment to abusive relationships.
Abstract
Results indicated that each of the Investment Model factors uniquely contributed to a woman’s commitment to her abusive relationship. Specifically, battered women who reported less relationship satisfaction, higher quality alternatives, and fewer investments in the relationship also expressed less commitment to their abusive relationship. Relationship satisfaction emerged as having a greater impact on women’s commitment to abusive relationships than their investment size or the quality of their alternatives. The findings thus suggest that understanding battered women’s relationship satisfaction may be an important element to understanding their commitment to their relationships. Participants were 51 women who were recruited from battered women’s service organizations in the central North Carolina area. Participants completed questionnaires measuring demographic information, exposure to abuse, relationship satisfaction, quality of alternatives to the relationship, investments in the relationship, and commitment to the relationship. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the data. Future research should focus on testing the relationship between women’s commitment level and women’s behavioral intentions about staying in the relationship or leaving. Tables, figure, references